Mister and Misses
by Moviefanatic2.0
Summary: Karen and Derek have been together since the end of season one, and both Bombshell and their relationship are going strong. The road to Broadway is long and winding, and there will be laughter, tears, and quite possibly rings along the way! And really, I just needed a Cartwills fix. A sequel to my story Never Give All the Heart, but can be read separately. Hurray!
1. What Happens Next?

**Hey there everyone, I'm back! **

**This is a continuation of my story Never Give All the Heart, but it can be read separately if you want to. I'm hopefully going to have more of the Karen x Derek relationship as Bombshell moves closer and closer to Broadway, and I basically just needed something to distract myself from just everything about the Smash finale. I'm so irrationally angry guys . . . Ugh, oh well!**

**So, my other story began at the end of the first season, about how Derek and Karen's relationship could have developed, and now, they are 'living' together while Bombshell has a run of previews in other cities. I'm not sure if that's really how it works . . . but hey! Whatever! The story picks up directly where the other left off, in their hotel room in L.A. Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: None of this belongs to me, it all belongs to Smash.**

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"So," Karen said, pushing herself into a siting position and out of Derek's arms. Derek let out a kind of grumbled whimper, reaching for her as he buried his face in the pillow, and she laughed when his fingers ghosted along her side. "What happens now? With the show I mean?"

"Well," Derek began, retracting his hands and propping himself up on his elbows so the sheets slipped down to his waist. "We'll pack up the theater tomorrow, and then move out to Chicago for the next round of previews."

Karen hummed noncommittally, and Derek raised an eyebrow. After a moment, the young brunette rose, wrapping the bed sheet around her torso and dragging it with her across the hotel room to the coffee maker. Turning back to Derek after a moment with two mugs in hand, she watched as he pulled a pair of sweats on over his boxer shorts and lay back down on the covers.

"I like Chicago," She said, climbing gingerly onto the bed and resting on her knees.

"Mmhmm," Derek offered, taking the mugs from her so she could lie down next to him. Carefully, she nestled into his side, and he handed her a mug before sipping his own.

"Yeah," Karen said, sipping her drink, then continuing. "That was about as far as I got from Aplington before the age of sixteen."

"Aplington, Iowa," Derek said, sipping his drink to hide a faint smirk, and Karen looked up at him indignantly.

"What?" Derek held his mug to his lips, and chuckled faintly. Karen sat up slightly.

"Nothing," Derek mumbled, and Karen narrowed her eyes at him.

"What?"

"Nothing!" Derek repeated, chuckling over his words, and Karen furrowed her brow. "It's just . . ." Derek grinned, and simpered slightly. "Aplington . . . Iowa."

"Don't say it like that!" Karen protested, knocking his side, and Derek's eyebrows rose in indignation.

"Like what?" Derek said, laughing when Karen scowled at him.

"Like 'Aplington, Iowa'," Karen mocked, voice low, and Derek laugh and put his hands in the air.

"I didn't say it like anything," He said through chuckles, and Karen set down her mug before punching his shoulder playfully.

"Don't play dumb with me," Karen glowered, and Derek laughed again. "You say it like you pity me-"

"I do not!" Derek protested, setting down his mug too.

"You so did!" Karen said, pulling away from him again, but he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back. "You think you're so great," she teased, "because you grew up in London, capital of England and blah-di-blah-"

"I do not," Derek grinned, pulling her to him as she let out a surprised yelp, and rolled over so she was positioned under him.

"You do too," Karen smiled coyly up at him, and Derek ducked downward so their noses almost touched. "And I grew up in, poor, poor Aplington, Iowa. Capital of . . . cornfields."

Derek burst out laughing, and Karen slapped his chest. "Alright, alright," Derek beamed. "Maybe I'm just slightly . . . sympathetic."

"Sympathetic." Karen repeated after a beat, eyebrows shooting upward. Derek chuckled.

"Of you having to grow up in tiny little Aplington," Derek continued, not truly focused on his words as he lowered his lips to hers. Karen, however, was having none of it.

"Uh- No, no, no," Karen turned her head away, pushing Derek upward with her hands on his chest. "Absolutely no kisses for you."

"But why?" Derek whined, pouting as he trailed his kisses down her jaw. Slowly, he snaked his arm under the sheet and around her waist, and Karen squirmed as she let out a burst of giggles.

"No, Derek, stop," She said, still laughing, and Derek grinned against her neck. "I was trying-" She attempted to speak seriously, pushing herself into a sitting position, "I was trying to talk to you."

"Alright," Derek grumbled, pulling back his hand and flopping sideways so he lay on his back next to her. Karen rolled onto her stomach, and trailed her fingers delicately across his chest.

"I know we've got a week until previews in Chicago," Karen elaborated, and Derek nodded towards the ceiling. "And the rest of the cast is going to drive back, make a road trip out of it. But . . ." Karen tilted her head, not meeting his gaze, and Derek glanced sidelong at her. "I . . . was thinking about flying out and visiting my parents for a few days."

A short silence followed, and Derek nodded up at the ceiling. Karen fiddled with the edge of her sheet, not looking at him. "That sounds fun," Derek offered when Karen remained silence, and laced his fingers behind his head. Karen nodded vaguely.

"I mean, just because it's close to Thanksgiving, and I promised my mom I'd come home and visit soon," Karen continued, somewhat distractedly, and kicked her legs in the air. "I've just been so busy with Bombshell . . ." She sighed, and pushed herself up onto her elbows. "Never mind, I thought it was a good idea-"

"No!" Derek protested softly, and Karen turned her gaze to his. He smiled softly. "I think that would be terrific. I'd love to visit Aplington."

Karen felt her heart leap into her throat. "You want to come?" She asked, slightly breathless, and Derek rolled his eyes.

"Of course I want to come. Meet the family and all that . . ." His voice drifted off, and he starred back up at the ceiling, hands still linked behind his head. Brow furrowed, he seemed almost wistful for a moment. "Haven't done that in a while."

"But you actually want to come meet my family?" Karen asked, slightly startled, and Derek returned his gaze. "Like really."

"Yeah, 'course I do," Derek nodded slowly. "Isn't that what you do when you love a girl? Meet the parents?"

"I just mean-" Karen pushed herself up onto her knees, looking down at him with head cocked to the side. "I mean you actually really want to come, because you don't have to come if you don't want to."

"Well only if you want me to come," Derek grumbled, pushing himself into a sitting position and looking slightly indignant. "I don't have to go if you don't want me to, bloody hell-"

"No!" Karen said immediately, smile pulling at the corners of her mouth, and Derek's eyebrows shot up. "Of course I want you to come, it's just . . ." Karen stopped for a moment and looked at him, smile growing slightly. Derek shifted uncomfortably, one eyebrow lowering. "I just didn't think that you'd want to come."

"Am I not supposed to want to come?" Derek asked, slightly confused, and Karen laughed in response. "No, I'm serious. I haven't really had much practice with this kind of thing."

"It's just-" Karen laughed again, and Derek cracked a faint smirk. "It just doesn't really seem like your thing."

"Well," Derek said coyly, shifting towards her, and Karen laughed again. "May I inform you that it is very much 'my thing', now that I've fallen for Mrs. White-Picket-Fence."

"Don't forget the two-and-a-half kids," Karen said, beaming, and Derek wrapped his arm around her waist. Grinning, he laughed as she pushed him back onto the mattress. "And a huge front yard, and a golden retriever."

"Right, exactly," Derek nodded, and couldn't help but chuckle along with her as Karen's lips crashed into his.

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"Oi, you two!" Derek bellowed from behind a cardboard box, staggering only slightly as he lifted it to his chest. Once stable, he knocked the box next to him with his foot, and nodded at two young chorus members across the stage. "Get this last one."

Grunting, Derek crossed the theater, dodging between sets and rack of costumes, until he made it out the back door to the truck. Sliding his smaller box inside, he jumped up into the back, grabbing the larger box and pulling it in as the other two hoisted it up. Once settled, he jumped out of the back, dusted off his hands, and slammed the trunk closed with a defiant click.

"There," He said, nodding at the two younger men, who instantly turned back inside the theater. "I think that's everything."

"Impressive work," Derek turned with a quirked eyebrow to find Julia, Tom trailing a touch behind her, and Eileen several feet back speaking into a cell phone. He smirked and raised both eyebrows.

"I do try," Derek responded coyly, and Julia smiled while Tom looked around, arms folded across his chest. Derek nodded to Eileen, who waved slightly before turning back around the corner to the main road. "The rest of the set is too big to handle, and costumes are being taken care of by Linda. So, I believe we are good to go."

"You're in a rather good mood," Tom commented dryly, scowling faintly, and Derek rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on, Tom," Derek smirked, clapping him on the back. "It's exciting, moving on to Chicago."

Tom only grumbled in response, Julia hiding a smile as Derek opened his mouth to speak again. However, as if on cue, Karen rushed from the building, brown curls flying and smile gleaming.

"Hi," She bubbled, sliding in next to Derek, and the director almost felt the mood of the group lighten.

"Hello darling," He said quietly, and Karen spared him a personal smile, fingers twisting with his before remembering present company and settling for a brushing of their fingertips.

"Is that everything?" She asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet and the three of them nodded. "Great," she continued, turning more to Derek as she spoke. "The ensemble and I are going out for drinks, I'll be back early though so we can pack, alright?"

"Alright," Derek beamed, eyes crinkling, and wrapped his hand though Karen's as she leaned forward and pecked his cheek.

"Bye," She said, words almost lost as she flashed a quick smile and wave to the two writers before ducking back inside, and Derek's eyes lingered where she had disappeared. When he turned back to Tom and Julia, he found the latter smiling and the former scowling.

"You two certainly aren't very subtle anymore, are you?" Tom grumbled, face seemingly stuck in a permanent glower, and Julia furrowed her brow at him before Derek could respond. Tom rolled his eyes, and gratefully accepted the coffees Linda handed them as she passed by.

"It's sweet Derek," Julia said kindly, ignoring Tom's indignant expression. "I'm happy for you two."

"Thank you Julia," Derek said, nodding once and sipping his drink. "That makes three of us, so far."

"So," Julia continued after a moment of silence. "Packing?"

"Oh, yeah," Derek said, switching his coffee from hand to hand. "Karen wants to fly out there instead of drive, so we can go visit her family." Julia's eyes widened, and Tom chocked on his drink.

"And . . ." Julia bit her lip, appraising him. "You're going with her?"

"Yes?" Derek's eyebrows raised in confusion at her surprise.

"You're going with her," Tom spluttered, disbelieving, "to meet her family?"

"Yes," Derek said, looking between the two with only slight indignation. "Bloody hell, why is this so hard for everyone to comprehend? Am I not speaking English?"

"It's just-" Julia stopped, debated, and was cut off by Tom.

"Derek Wills doesn't do family visits," Tom coughed one last time, and took another sip of his coffee.

"Well Derek Wills has bought two plane tickets to Des Moines," Derek's voice dripped with sarcasm. "So yes, he's going to meet his girlfriend's parents. The world has ended." Turning, he stalked away from them, grumbling as he entered the theater, and Tom and Julia turned to each other with eyebrows raised.

"Do you think he's serious?" Julia asked, and Tom shook his head.

"He hasn't been serious about anyone in the past fifteen years," Tom raised an eyebrow and nursed the paper cup between his hands. "What makes you think he'd start now?"

"I mean, he really does seemed serious about her . . ." Julia frowned, and peeked back through the theater door.

"All the better for us then," Tom shrugged. "Maybe this one will actually last out his time in Bombshell, and we wont have to deal with any more of his drama."

"Maybe this is it," Julia said thoughtfully. "Maybe Derek Wills is actually changing."

"Point to Karen then," Tom said, pulling out his phone as it let out a faint chirp. Sighing, he returned it to his pocket and turned back towards the street, Julia following behind him after a moment. "All I know is that I would die to see Derek meet a girl's parents," Tom said, and raised his eyebrows when Julia chuckled.

"What?" He protested, grinning hugely. "It's going to be priceless."

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**Thanks for reading! New chapter up soon!**


	2. Meet the Parents

**Thank you so much to all the lovely reviewers, you are absolutely terrific! I'd forgotten how nice it is to get a review, and you all reminded me, much to my delight. So, as the story progresses, it might end up being a touch less plot based and a bit more one-shot-y, so if you have any thoughts or suggestions for K&D ideas - plot oriented or otherwise, please let me know in a review or PM. I would love some good inspiration :) Thanks so much for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing! Enjoy :D**

**Disclaimer: Smash is as much mine as it is anyone's as this point, I guess.**

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"Karen."

"Karen?"

"Karen!"

"What?" She turned to him, blinking several times as if coming out of a daze, and staring at Derek wide-eyed. He looked at her from the passenger seat, eyebrows raised, and reached out a gentle hand to grip the steering wheel.

"Please slow down, darling," He said kindly, and Karen flicked her gaze to the speedometer as another field of corn whizzed by.

"Oh, oh my gosh," She pulled her foot off the accelerator slowly, taking long, deep breaths, and the car continued to hum along the dirt road at a much more respectable speed. She didn't say anything more, eyes locked on the road, but Derek continued to appraise her profile.

"Are you alright, love?" Derek asked gently, and Karen nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," She said with a breathy laugh, and shot Derek a quick sidelong glance. "Why wouldn't I be fine?"

"Because you're driving like a maniac," Derek continued calmly. "And you haven't spoken a word since we left the airport." Karen huffed slightly, though she still remained tensed on the edge of her seat. As Derek watched, the knuckles of her hands turned white.

"It's just-" Karen let out a deep breath, shifting in her seat, and sending him a slightly pained expression. Derek leaned back only slightly, brow furrowed. "I'm just nervous, is all." Quickly, she averted her gaze, and turned the wheel slowly right.

"Love, these are your parents," Derek responded, only slightly confused. "Aren't I the one that's supposed to be nervous?"

"Well, you aren't nervous," Karen replied, sounding almost frustrated, and Derek drew his chin back, eyes wide and head tilted. Under normal circumstances, this nearly always made her smile, but Karen only felt the lump in her throat grow. She thought she might actually be sick. "And it's making me nervous."

"I'm sorry," Derek said, almost as a question, and Karen took a deep breath. "Do you want me to be anxious?"

"No. I just-" Karen huffed again, and Derek tried to hide a faint smirk. They pulled up in front of a large, light blue house, fields seeming to stretch for miles behind it, and Karen turned to look at him, hands still gripping the wheel. "You do understand that this is kind of a big deal, right?"

Derek smiled, and gently reached out the take her hand. Slowly, fingers almost peeling away from the steering wheel, Karen relaxed her hands and let out one more breath. Derek took both her hands, wrapping them in his, and smiling kindly. He pecked her lips once.

"Karen," He said, and she still frowned slightly, brow furrowed. "Of course I do, and I'm terrified. But I'm also excited." He smiled faintly, and squeezed her hands. "I've never really done this before."

"I know, I'm happy you're excited," Karen reassured, him, but Derek didn't respond as she sat up a little straighter. "It's just that . . . this it's going to be a lot. You're going to meet everyone."

"I know," Derek reassured her in turn, but Karen shook her head.

"No, I don't just mean my parents," She looked at him seriously. "I lived here almost my entire life. It'll be my aunts and uncles, my cousins, my grandparents, all my friends . . ."

"_I _think that sounds great," Derek said kindly, moving one of his hands to cup her cheek, and rubbed his thumb along her jaw. "But if you want me to leave I can still go. I can take the car and go rent out a hotel room-"

"No, no that's not what I want at all," Karen cut in, and Derek was slightly relieved. Finally, she smiled slightly, and Derek pushed a piece of hair out of her forehead. "I don't want you to get overwhelmed. I just want to make sure you know exactly what you're getting into."

"Alright," Derek said, smirking. "Now I'm a bit nervous."

Before Karen could respond, the front door to the house swung open, and her mother and father stood there smiling. Squeezing Derek's fingers, both of them exited the car and walked up the stairs to the front porch. Derek trailed a little bit behind, hands in his pockets and smiling slightly as Karen was met with big hugs and bigger smiles.

"I'm sorry we're late," Karen was saying as Derek caught up, and turned to give her father a hug. "The airport was crazy-"

"Oh, don't worry sweetheart," Karen's mom shushed her, shaking her head and smiling. "You're just in time; everyone's gotten here and I'm just starting something for dinner."

As she spoke, Karen pulled herself out of her mother's grasp and backed up several paces, still smiling as she reached behind her and wound her finger's through Derek's. He was thankful for the gesture; he could feel his heart begin to thud against his chest. There was a slightly awkward pause, then Karen smiled and pulled him forward to her side.

"Mom, dad," She said, and flashed Derek a quick smile. "This is Derek."

"Derek Wills, Mr. and Mrs. Cartwright," Derek though this an appropriate time to reach forward and quickly extended his hands. After a split second pause Karen's father took it, his grip firm and his skin rough, and shook slightly as he looked the younger man up and down. For a moment, Derek was conscious of something like pure terror overwhelming him, and a feeling of intimidation he had never experience before, and was thankful when Karen's father broke their grasp and his slightly limp hand was caught up in Karen's mother's. Both hands wrapped around Derek's, her smile was enough to calm his shaking breaths, and Derek smiled at her. "It's lovely to meet you both."

"Please call me Martha, sweetheart, and he's fine with Roger," She beamed, and Derek nodded, almost at a loss for words. Thankfully, he didn't have time to respond before he was being bustled inside. "Come inside, both of you, it's absolutely freezing out here-"

"Oh," Derek replied, looking back, "Let me get our luggage from the car first, just so-"

"Of course dear," Martha spoke kindly, and Derek jogged back down the steps as Karen's mother turned to her with a sly smile. Karen took a deep breath and her gaze darted between her parents.

"Well," Her mother said, still grinning. "He's awfully handsome-"

"Mom," Karen said, already blushing.

"And what a gentleman-"

"Mom!" Karen protested, but she was smiling as her mother began to lead her inside.

"Oh sweetheart," Her mother said, eyebrows raised. "You have to be used to this by now, bringing us all these strange British men from the big city-"

"He's only the second one," Karen said softly, cheeks burning, and continued to smile.

"I think he couldn't get away fast enough," Her father grumbled, arms crossed over his chest, and his wife swatted at his shoulder.

"Roger!" She protested, but turned back to her daughter with a sigh when he offered no response. "Well, I think he seems absolutely terrific-" Her words ended abruptly as the front door was pushed open by Derek, weighed down by several suitcases and smiling slightly. As if in perfect synchronization, the door at the end of the hall flew open and before anyone could make a sound a little girl was jumping into Karen's arms.

"Karie!" She screamed, and Karen's eyes widened with joy as she lifted the little girl into her arms. With long blonde hair and faintly olive skin, only her eyes stuck out as resembling Karen's. Still, the little girl wrapped her arms around Karen's neck and let out a burst of giggles as Karen spun her around.

"Hey there big girl!" Karen spun around again before setting the little girl on her hip and kissing her forehead. As she did so, Derek deposited the suitcases at the foot of the staircase and stood to the side, hands behind his back. Roger and Martha were already making their way down the hall to the open door, and Karen made to follow them, before turning back to Derek and repositioning the little girl on her hip.

"Kawen, Kawen," she was saying urgently, and Karen nodded, still smiling faintly. "You have to come see the snowman me and Awtie and daddy built, it's so big-" For the first time, she seemed to notice Derek standing there, and her words stopped as she looked across at him, eyes wide. Derek smiled slightly.

"Lizzie," Karen said after a moment, and beamed at Derek. "This is Derek, he's a friend of mine." At his name, the little girl's eyes seemed to grow even wider, and she looked between Karen and Derek slowly.

"But . . ." She began, then dropped her voice into a whisper. "But daddy told me Derek was your boyfriend. He said that your mommy said you were bringing a boy named Derek and he was your boyfriend."

"Well, he was right," Karen said, and the little girl's face rose into a smile. Swiftly, she reached out a hand and pointed it at Derek.

"Hello," Lizzie said, straightening her back, and Derek couldn't hide a faint smirk. "I'm Lizzie." Taking her hand, Derek shook her small, warm fingers gently.

"A pleasure to meet you Lizzie," He said, and was delighted when she let out a burst of giggles. Turning back to Karen, the little girl leaned forward and put her hand in front of Karen's ear.

"He talks funny," She whispered, loud enough so both parties could hear, and Karen chuckled before setting the little girl down. Almost instantly, Lizzie stuck her thumb in her mouth, staring up at them momentarily before wondering back into the living room, and Karen took the moment to grab Derek's hands. Reaching up on her tiptoes, she kissed Derek's lips firmly.

"Mmff-" Derek grumble, and she pulled away, eyebrows raised. He stared at her beseechingly. "I can't kiss you here," he said, looking over her shoulder towards the partially opened door. "Your parents-"

"Will be fine," she finished, and laced her finger's through his. "Come on, you have nothing to worry about."

"I get the feeling that your father already hates me," Derek said, and continued before she could interject. "And finding us snogging in your entryway isn't exactly going to help matters." Karen let out a burst of laughter, and Derek looked at her indignantly.

"You're so British," Karen said, pulling their hands up and resting them against his chest, and Derek raised his eyebrows.

"That I am, love," Derek said, and looked over her shoulder again. "And apparently, I talk funny."

"Don't worry," Karen consoled. "That means she likes you, which is a good start."

"And she is . . .?" Derek questioned, and Karen nodded.

"My cousin's daughter, she and her brother Arthur," Karen said, and Derek raised his eyebrows, taking a deep breath. "I told you it would be everyone."

"So you did," Derek said, squeezing her fingers and dropping one of her hands as they turned to face the door. Derek took a deep breath, and Karen smiled at his profile. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, and ran his free had through his hair.

"We can still-"

"Oh bloody hell," he said, and pulled her forward. "Let's just do it, for god's sake."

And Karen laughed as he threw open the door and was greeted with veritable wall of noise.

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Karen smiled a small, contented smile as she unpacked her suitcase, filling the chest beside the guest bed with intermittent pieces of she and Derek's clothing, and breathing in the warm steam of the shower that seeped under the bathroom door. She could hear Derek bustling around inside, letting out the faintest of occasional hums from behind the door, and she beamed.

The entire night had gone exceedingly well; from aunts to uncles to cousins to grandparents, each family member had been overjoyed to see her, and Karen was just as happy in return. On top of that, Derek was met with open arms, gracious and polite as he was somewhat jostled from person to person, and quickly making comfortable conversation with several of her male cousins once introductions had been made.

Dinner had been lovely as well. Derek wasn't interrogated too terribly, and everyone promised to be there to attend her opening in Chicago. The mood had been further heightened when Derek gave a glowing rendition of Karen's performance, aunts and cousins sending her adoring looks once he had finished, and the conversation between all was soft and easy with the exception of her father. Throughout the dinner, he remained rather reserved, gaze almost never averting from Derek, and Karen took the director's hand under the table and ran comforting circles along his palm.

Despite her actions, she could see his muscles remained tense in contrast to his easy conversation, and even when she was later forced to sing for the collected group, he still remained upright and slightly jittery. She wished she could reassure him, but the constant stream of relatives seemed never ending, and it wasn't until many hours later that they all filed out, sharing hugs and kisses and promises of their return. Only then had Karen and Derek been able to pull their bags upstairs and retire to their room, and Karen was allowed to wrap her arms around his waist.

"So," Derek had said, playing with the ends of her hair and staring at the top of her head. "How'd I do?"

"You, Derek Wills," Karen looked up at him fondly, "were a sight to behold."

"Why thank you darling." He said, grinning a slightly goofy grin, and kissed her forehead. "Was I really able to conceal the fact that I was sweating bullets?"

Karen laughed, and Derek ran his hand through her hair. "Well, of course I noticed," Karen continued, and Derek scowled slightly, "But no one else suspected a thing, I'm sure of it."

"No one except your father," Derek corrected, and Karen raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh don't give me that look," Derek said, eyebrows raised in indignation. "You know it's true. He didn't take his eyes off me all through dinner."

"Maybe because he was pleased with you," Karen offered, and Derek scoffed.

"Maybe," he began, looked at her with grave seriousness. "It will start raining cats and dogs."

"Stop it," Karen said, swatting his chest playfully, and Derek beamed. "And go take a shower, no one else may have noticed you were sweating, but I did."

"Oh really?" Derek said, wrapping his arms around her waist, and he had pulled her to him-

"Karen?" Startled, she blinked the reverie from her mind and shook her head, still smiling. Turning, she crossed the room at the words and the knock on her door, and pulled it open to find her father standing there, smiling only slightly.

"Dad," She said, slightly surprised, and looked towards the bathroom door, where the sound of the shower still echoed, slightly muffled. Her father rubbed the back of his neck, and smiled uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't sure if I should knock, or-"

"It's fine," Karen said genuinely, and opened the door a bit more. Her father shifted slightly, dropped his hands into his pockets, and took several breaths.

"Umm, could I come in," He asked, then continued quickly. "Just for a couple minutes, I only want to talk-"

"Of course," Karen said, opening the door all the way, and he walked inside and sat himself on the edge of the bed. Karen sat beside him, pulling her legs up and crossing them under her, and her father took another deep breath before taking one of her hands.

"Sweetheart, I-" He stopped, swallowed, then continued. "I wanted to apologize."

"It's alright dad," She said with a smile, but he was not dismayed. "You don't have to-"

"No," He interrupted, and looked at her seriously. "No, I do have to apologize. I was very rude to you, and to Derek."

"Dad," Karen began, but stopped short, not quite sure what it was she wanted to say.

"I've just- I've just been reading a lot about him," Her father continued, glancing quickly toward the bathroom door and back to her, and concern and sadness mixed equally in his features. "About the way he treats his actresses, and I just needed to know that you were safe, that you were alright-"

"Oh dad," Karen said softly, and reached forward to wrap him in a hug. He responded in kind, and Karen closed her eyes, content.

"I just didn't want you getting hurt after what happened with that bastard Dev-" Her father began, anger filling his voice, and Karen let out a little laugh. "Did your mother tell you I had my bags packed the night after you called us, and I was ready to fly out and face this punk myself."

"That sounds like a terrible idea," Karen said with a laugh, and her father nodded as she pulled away from his embrace. He smiled, slightly embarrassed.

"Your mother convinced me of that eventually," He said, "And that boy didn't know a good thing when it was staring him in the face." Karen felt tears in the corners of her eyes, but remained quiet as her father continued. "But, I think this Derek may know, at least for now. I just worried about the way he used to be and what's been happening in the press-"

"It's all just bad media," Karen said, brushing it off, and her father nodded slightly. "Really, dad I can promise you that he is not the same person you read about in those articles."

"I hope so," Roger continued, and smiled slightly. "For his sake at least."

"Dad-" Karen immediately protested, and her father laughed. "Please be nice to him-"

"I will be!" He protested, and Karen laughed. "I will be very, very nice. But that's not a promise that I won't give him the whole 'I'll kill you if you break her heart' speech."

"No, dad he's intimidated enough as it is," Karen looked at him pleadingly, and Roger sighed.

"Oh, well maybe," She hugged him again, a swift, tight hug, and he sighed. Standing up, he crossed the room to the door before turning around and smiling at her. "You'll at least let me pull out the shot gun, right?"

"Dad!" Karen protested, but he was already chuckling, and placed a kiss on her forehead when she walked to the door.

"All right, all right," He said, feigning hurt, and his expression softened. "Good night sweetheart."

"Good night," She said, smiling, and kissing his cheek before closing the door behind him. As she did, she became fully aware that the noise from the shower had stopped, and turned to see the door open and Derek exited, wearing only pajama pants and with wet hair flopping against his forehead. Without warning, she crossed to him in two strides and wrapped her arms around his neck, planting a soft, sensual kiss on his lips. Derek responded after a moment, clearly surprised, and Karen pulled him over towards the bed. Lifting the suitcase to the side and onto the floor, Derek gently laid her down on the mattress, and chuckled when her hands ghosted along his chest. After a brief moment, both of them came up for air, and Karen put her hand over his mouth.

"Now," she said seriously, looking directly into his eyes. "We are in my parents' house, down the hall from their bedroom," Derek's eyes crinkled, and she felt his lips smile against her palm. "So we're going to have to keep it PG." She slid her hand to his cheek, and Derek beamed.

"I'm up for PG," he said, smirking, and lowered his lips slowly to meet hers.

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**Thanks for reading, a new chapter will be up ASAP. Please send any and all Cartwills ideas, and thanks again! Ciao!**


	3. A Taste of Iowa

**Oops! I forgot to put an A/N on this one. Sorry! :D**

**Anyway, thank you so, so, so, so much to all the lovely, wonderful readers. You guys are truly lovely, and your favorite, views and reviews make me very happy. Thank you, thank you, a billion thank you's!**

**Disclaimer: Smash is not mine. Still.**

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"Karen, no."

"Yes, come on Derek, please-"

"No, Karen, you've got to be joking-"

"I am one-hundred percent serious!" Karen said with a sense of finality, and crossed her arms over her chest. Derek gripped the steering wheel tightly, starring out of the windshield with much trepidation, and gulped.

"I can't-"

"Of course you can!" Karen said indignantly, and Derek turned to her. He seemed to be trying to smirk, but his eyes flickered with something like fear. Karen sighed.

"Darling, please, can't we-"

"No, it's happening," Karen said firmly, and pulled the keys out of the ignition. The car's engine clicked off, and she reached for the handle of the door. Derek watched her, eyes widening slightly, as she jumped out onto the dirt road, rounded the car to the driver's door and starred at him through the window, arms crossed. She was attempting the scowl, but her lip continuously quirked upward in a faint, delighted smirk. "Now, get out of the car."

"Karen-"

"No, Derek I won't hear-"

"But can't we do anything else?" Derek pleaded, fingers tapping nervously on the dashboard, and Karen began to feel slightly sympathetic. But then, she remembered what they were arguing about, and rolled her eyes as she pulled open his door. Slowly, and with much apprehension, Derek exited the vehicle, closing the door behind him, and taking the deep breath as Karen wrapped both hands through his.

"No, we can't," she said quietly, and with a faint smile. "You are here, and I'm going to treat you to the full Iowan experience-"

"But-"

"Whether," she continued, holding his gaze steadily, "you like it or not."

"But why?" Derek whined, for all the world like a petulant toddler, and Karen's eyebrows rose even higher, if it was possible she could be more indignant.

"You're being ridiculous-"

"No, I'm not-"

"Derek Wills," Karen stated seriously, and Derek looked at the ground, shuffling his feet slightly. "You were less nervous to meet my parents than you are to ride a horse?"

And as a matter of fact, yes, he was. Standing there in front of Harry Cook's Ranch and Farmhouse: Petting Zoo and Horseback Riding, Derek was feeling distinctly more nervous than he had in quite a long while, despite his best attempts to the contrary. Broadway premieres, he could do; social gatherings, he could do; riding wild animals? No, that lay distinctly within the circle of things that he could not and would not do.

"I just don't-" He stopped, sighed, and pouted slightly. "Why?"

"Because, it will be fun!" Karen bounced up and down a little bit, and Derek sighed. "I promise!"

"I'm not going to like it," Derek stated matter-of-fact-ly, thought winding his finger's more firmly through hers as he spoke.

"Maybe, you'll love it," Karen said, grinning hugely, and kissed his cheek. Derek scowled comically.

"And maybe I'll seriously injure myself, and you'll never subject me to anything like this again," He had cracked a smile before he could finish the sentence, smirking as Karen swatted his arm.

"Oh hush up," Karen said, dropping his hand and looping her arm through his. "Stop being such a big baby, city boy."

They crossed the dirt path to the wooden porch of the house, footsteps kicking up dirt and creaking as the mounted the old, rickety steps. Approaching the door, Karen didn't even bother to knock, pushing open the screen and leaning inside, looking back and forth quickly before stepping in. Derek followed a foot behind, pulling the door closed with a rather startling bang, and watched as Karen approached what seemed to be a counter. The front room was eerily quite, and Derek clasped his hands behind his back.

"Hello?" Karen called, affectively breaking the silence, and Derek could have sworn he saw dust fly from the counter, startled at the noise. "Harry?"

"Do my ears deceive me?" And all of a sudden, with a great booming voice and thunderous, lumbering footsteps, a colossal man emerged from the back room and beamed at them. Standing well over six feet, arms thick and toned despite a slight pot-belly, and the bushiest beard and mustache Derek had ever seen, his dark eyes sparkled and crinkled slightly as he spread his arms wide.

"Harry!" Karen's entire being seemed to light up, and she threw herself into his arms as he chuckled, the sound thundering around the room.

"Karen Cartwright," He said, wrapping her in a warm embrace before letting her go and putting both hands on her shoulders. In her heeled boots, he still stood at least a head taller than her. "So the city girl has finally deemed us old country folk with her presence."

As he spoke, his eyes sparkled with mirth, and Karen smile turned slightly rueful.

"Stop it," she said, blushing slightly, and smiled when he began to chuckle.

"I know," He grinned. "You've got the big, bright lights of Broadway for ya now, you don't need us-"

"No!" Karen swatted his hands, and the older man let out a bellowing laugh. "You know I wouldn't give up all of this for anything."

The older man chuckled again, and suddenly seemed to register Derek standing by the door. Eyebrows raising in a friendly, inquisitive smile, he turned to the younger man and stuck out a hand.

"Now who's this?" Harry asked, and Derek stepped forward, taking a deep breath and gripping Harry's hand in return. The older man's fingers engulfed his, and seemed to swallow them. Karen stepped forward and placed a hand on Derek's shoulder, rubbing it gently.

"Harry, this is Derek," Karen said, squeezing the director's shoulder, and Harry shook his hand warmly.

"Derek Wills, sir," Derek said, though his voice held a tinge of fear as the larger man appraised him. He would have though – with the amount of experience he had gained several nights ago on the introduction front – that it would have gotten easier to be the object of scrutiny, but he was wrong. "Pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure's all mine, son," He said, smiling slightly, and pulling himself upright. Folding his arms across his chest, he stared at Karen, eyebrows raised, and Karen rolled her eyes. She dropped her hand and twisted her fingers through Derek's.

"He's my boyfriend, Harry," She huffed, though her lips still pulled into a smirk, and Harry cocked his head, beaming.

"Boyfriend, eh?" The older man smirked, and Karen rolled her eyes again before taking off towards the backroom of the house and pulling Derek behind her.

"My god, you're worse than my dad," Karen called, towing Derek behind the counter and through a door onto the back porch, and Harry lumbered behind them, still chuckling. "I'm twenty-five years old-"

"And I have every right to be _exactly_ like your dad, I've known you since you were this high!" He gestured toward the ground vaguely, grabbing a hat off the nail near the door and depositing it firmly on his head. "What happened to good old 'Uncle Harry'?"

"You up for an early morning ride?" Karen said, purposefully ignoring his words with a large grin as she hoisted a saddle off the porch banister. After a split second, Derek followed suit, feeling slightly lost and a little bit more uncertain.

"Sure, 'course," He said, grabbing the third and final saddle and swinging it over his shoulder with ease. "You brought your city boy all the way out here, gotta give him a proper taste, eh?"

"Something like that," Karen grinned at Derek over her shoulder, and Derek only managed to grimace back. Starting off after Harry as the older man began to lumber towards a low-lying stable, Karen turned away from the director and trotted several steps to lean up and whisper in Harry's ear.

"He's scared," she said quietly, though loud enough for Derek to hear, and bit back a smirk as she heard Derek grumble from behind her.

"Oi," he said, frowning, though his forehead was still creased in concern. "I am not."

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"So," Harry turned to her, smiling faintly, and bounced slightly as their horses trotted along. "New York City, the Great White Way. How're ya liking all of it?"

The sun had risen up slightly now, though still not much, and warmed their skin as they reached the crest of the small, grassy hill. Starring out over the green expanse of fields, Karen took a deep breath and smiled slightly, pulling her horse back to match Harry's pace. In all the hustle and bustle of the big city, she sometimes forgot how much she missed being home.

"Good," she said, feeling excessively content, and nodded slowly. "Really, I love it. I miss everything about this place, but I wouldn't give up New York easily."

"Well, you're the constant talk of the town, out here," Harry steered the horse sideways, avoiding a large brush, and looked out over the view. "You should've been here when you called your ma to tell her about your big break. She was in tears, and the whole town was celebrating." Karen blushed faintly, but continued to grin.

"It's just previews," Karen said, looking down at her horses neck. "It's not even Broadway-"

"Yet," Harry interrupted, looking at her sidelong, and Karen smirked, shaking her head. "Aw, come on now, we all know it. You're gonna be a star."

"I don't know," Karen said, but she was smiling, and they started down across the crest of the hill towards a larger, steeper one. They rode in silence for a moment, then Harry shifted in his saddle.

"So, what brings you and the city dweller through here?" He continued, and Karen smiled slightly.

"Not much, really," Karen said, and petted the horse's neck softly. "We don't start our Chicago run for a few days, and I thoughts I'd stop by to see everyone. Derek said he wanted to come along."

"He wanted to?" Harry glanced behind them at Derek, several yards behind them and struggling to maneuver around a loose patch of dirt, and smirked. "Smart boy."

"He really is," Karen said, starring at the older man seriously, and Harry returned his gaze to her. "Really, don't give him a hard time. This is a big deal for him."

"Oh course, I'll be just peachy," Harry responded, almost a protest, and Karen raised her eyebrows. He looked ahead of him, watching the path of the horse, before flicking his gaze sidelong, and sighing. "Sweetie, we just worry about you, all of us. Me and your dad 'specially."

"You don't need to worry," Karen said softly, kindly. "I'll be alright. Derek's a good guy."

"I know," Harry nodded once, and huffed as the incline became slightly steeper. "But ever since I heard about that Dev in one of those magazines-"

"Harry," Karen said softly, and the older man sighed.

"Well, I'm sure your pop's said this to you already, but that boy didn't deserve even a fraction of what you gave him," Harry looked straight at her, and Karen felt tears welling up behind her eyes. He smiled slightly, almost sadly, and nodded. "You hear?"

"Thank you, Harry," Karen said, then smiled a bit more. "Uncle Harry." Harry nodded, smiling faintly, and another short silence fell.

"He's gonna treat you right though," The older man said again, gesturing behind them with his head, and Karen nodded slightly. Turning, she smiled in Derek's direction, but he seemed not to notice, being too preoccupied with negotiating a slightly dip in the hillside. "And if not," Harry continued, smirking. "I'll make sure to set him straight."

Karen smiled, opening her mouth to speak, but was cut off when a faint stream of curses drifted from behind them.

"Bloody hell . . . oh, bloody- Karen! Karen-" turning her head, she watched, almost in slow motion as Derek slipped sideways in his saddle, gripping frantically for some sort of hold as he slipped farther, farther, and farther, until-

_Thud_. With a loud thump and a generally less than gracefully huff – not to mention the string of expletives that were uttered at steadily increasing volumes – Derek flopped sideways, off his horse and onto the dirt ground, loosing all purchase on its back apart from his left foot, which was still looped in the stirrup.

Quickly swinging her leg over and jumping off her own horse's back, she jogged back the way they had come until she stood over him with one hand on his horse. In a red flannel shirt, jeans and boots, her free hand on her hip and clearly fighting back a smirk, Derek squinted up at her, raising a hand to block the sun, and beamed.

"Gods," He breathed, "you're bloody sexy, d'you know that?"

"I think," Karen replied, raising an eyebrow as she detangled his leg and reaching out a hand to pull him to his feet, "you might've done some brain damage with that fall."

"Yeah," Derek replied, jumping to his feet with as much dignity as possible, "Probably something like that." And Karen swatted his arms, grinning and rubbing a bit of dirt off his cheek before planting a short, solid kiss on his lips.

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"Ow, bloody hell- Ouch!"

"Easy," Karen said gently, pressing the wet cloth to his cheek again, and using her other hand to rub her thumb along his jawbone.

They were seated at Harry Cook's dining room table, Derek holding an icepack to his cheek and looking decidedly mortified as Karen gently rubbed the same cheek, cleaning it. He slouched in his old wooden chair, wincing as Karen rubbed the cut as tenderly as possible, and she let out a faint sound of sympathy from the back of her throat. She wetted the cloth again, taking the bowl Harry proffered, and dabbed at the cut almost maternally.

"Ah-" Derek grumbled, and Karen rubbed the back of his neck with her free hand, turning his head to get a better look at the director's injury.

"It's alright," She said softly, almost subconsciously, and tilted his head a little more, examining the wound. Derek sighed, shoulders slouching, and blinked slowly. After a minute, Karen pulled away, setting the cloth in the water with a sense of finality, and walked over to the sink to wash her hands. Harry backed out onto the deck as she maneuvered the kitchen, there being barely enough room for himself alone, and leaned against the banister overlooking the stables.

"So, it's only a slight cut," Derek nodded, sitting up straighter, and Karen dried her hands quickly. "No stitches or anything, and it probably won't even scar. No permanent disfiguration." Karen gathered up the things, sending Derek a slight smile as he pushed himself to his feet.

"That's a shame," Derek said, smirking. "I thought we could be matching." Karen laughed, fingers flying the faint scar beneath her left eye, and grinned.

"It doesn't hurt too badly, does it?" Karen asked, having succeeded in cleaning the kitchen and now crossed to stand in front of him, touching his cheek gently. Derek sighed, but smiled slightly.

"Only my pride, Love," Karen laughed slightly, and Derek feigned shock and horror. "What? The saddle was definitely not secured, and the stable door just swung open-"

"I know, I know," Karen said, fighting back laughter, and Derek raised both eyebrows at her. "Just that you did it twice-"

"Miss Cartwright," Derek said, incredulous. "Are you laughing at me?"

"No!" Karen protested, but Derek wrapped his free hand around her waist. "Of course not!"

"Of course not?" Derek said, squeezing her side, and Karen squirmed, giggling.

"Oh course not!" Karen panted, beaming. "Why would I ever laugh at y-"

Derek cut her off with a kiss, pulling her flush against him and smiling when he could feel her laughter in his chest. After a moment, he pulled away, and she ran a hand through his hair.

"So, now that you've lived a true Iowan experience," Karen said, with only a trace of sarcasm. "What do you think?"

"I think," Derek said, contemplating for a moment, "that it's excellent."

"Really?" Karen said, slightly taken-aback, and Derek grinned.

"Really really," Derek grinned, pecking her lips quickly, and Karen looked happier than she had in a very long time.

"Great!" She said brightly, and Derek lowered his eyebrows slightly. "Because you know what we're doing now, right?" Derek furrowed his brow, confused, and Karen beamed.

"We're going to meet my friends!"

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**Thank you so much for reading! Again, sorry I forgot this the first time, but please review if you would like! It warms my heart XD**


	4. A History

**Hello! Sorry for the delay - I was out of town - but I'm back! Hurray!**

**Anyway, I can't possibly say enough thank you's for how amazing you all are, lovely readers :) You are all fantastic, I'm sending virtual hugs in a non weird, creepy way! So, after this chapter, my uploads might slow down a little bit (tho they haven't been that fast to begin with, sorry!), because I had a stock pile of a couple chapters that is now running low. So, I will do my absolute best to update as much as possible!**

**Disclaimer: I own no part of Smash. Not even a little bit.**

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"I think they really liked you," Karen smiled, tossing Derek a pair of pajama pants from the dresser as she pulled out her own. Catching the flannel pants against his chest, Derek smiled slightly and genuinely, and Karen laughed slightly.

They had just returned from town's pub, affectionately titled "Stinky's". Warn brick chipping on the outside, the inside revealed itself as a cozy crisscross of foaming beer, soft lights, and faintly Dutch charm. It all honesty, Derek found it remarkably quaint, which Karen look with only a small grain of salt, and only slapped his arm once, when he let out a faint chuckle as they entered.

Seconds after entering, there had been a resounding uproar of cheers, a fit of excited squeals and the two were attacked by a veritable swarm of enthusiastic patrons. Karen, squealing herself, fell into the arms of four or five other young women, bouncing on her feet and giddy with childish excitement. Standing back slightly, he watched – slightly amused and more than a bit terrified – as the young women gushed and giggled, beyond elated, before a solid thump on the back seemed to draw him back to the moment, and he was pulled around and into a firm and aggressively friendly handshake, the hand's owner grinning broadly.

"You must be Derek," The hand's owner said, his voice just shy of shouting over the sport highlights blaring through the bar's speakers. "I'm Dean! Val's heard so much about you from Karen. It's really great to finally meet you." And Dean's face was so open, so truthful, Derek couldn't help but smile himself, shaking the younger man's hand in return. A strange, warm feeling began to spread through his chest, a feeling he couldn't quite place, but he smiled nonetheless.

And as the night wore on, as he met Karen's other companions, he began to realize where this warm, soft feeling was stemming from. Drinking crappy beer in a small-town bar and discussing Karen's high school exploits, Derek felt more singularly comfortably than he had in years, maybe decades. These people – these complete strangers – were genuinely happy to meet him, knowing little to nothing about who he was. They truly wanted to spent time with him, and they asked nothing more of him than his simple, quite-possibly-hellishly boring company. They didn't want his connections or his affection or his bloody autograph; they wanted him. They wanted Derek Wills, nothing more or less, and he wanted nothing more than to oblige.

"Well, good." Derek replied, pulling the pants on and stripping off his leather jacket. Karen pulled on her own pajamas, threw her hair up, and disappeared into the bathroom. "Because I liked them too."

Poking her head back around the door, Karen's face was comically astonished. "Wow," she said, and Derek smirked. "You must have drunk a lot more than I thought you did-"

"Oi!" Derek barked, and Karen's head disappeared again in a fit of giggles. Following her into the adjoining room, he moved next to her in the mirror and wetted his hands in the sink. "Did you not want me to like them?"

"No!" Karen slurred, toothbrush dangling from the side of her lips. "Of course I did! I just didn't think you would, s'all." She leaned over the sink, and Derek took the opportunity to reach across her and grab his own brush. There were several minutes of silence as Derek scrubbed his teeth and Karen cleansed her face, then the director spoke again.

"Well, I liked them very much," Derek stated with finality, and swished a mouthful of water. "And look," he spit, and turned to face her. "I'm not even a little bit drunk. See?"

Opening his mouth, Derek let out an exaggerated breath, Karen raising her head as if to sniff it but instead sneaking a short, firm kiss. Pulling a smile, Derek put a hand on her waist and Karen pulled away, eyes closed and lips pressed together.

"Mmm," she hummed, and opened her eyes. "Minty."

"Mmhmm," Derek breathed, and dipped to place a kiss on her neck. At the last second, Karen ducked sideways, laughing and brushing past him out into the bedroom. Bouncing onto the bed with a faint huff, Karen wormed her way sideways as Derek crossed the thick carpet and laid beside her. Flicking off the bedside lamp, she huddled into Derek's side in the darkness, and he put one arms around her shoulder, the other toying with the ends of her hair. It still marveled him that he could do this so easily, so innocently. It just felt natural, snuggled together with his fingers in her hair and hers on his chest. Derek breathed a long, deep sigh, and looked down at her, content.

"So you really liked them?" Karen asked, gaze flicking up to his, and Derek bobbed his head slowly.

"Would you pity me too much if I told you I'd sort of forgotten what it was like to have friends?" He asked, his face pulled into a faint grimace, and Karen chuckled faintly.

"No," Karen replied firmly. "I understand what you mean, sometimes." Derek made a noncommittal sounds of consensus, and Karen took a deep breath. "Don't get me wrong, I love everyone involved in Bombshell. There's just something about this that's different. The nostalgia, or something like that . . ." Her voice drifted off faintly at the end, and she nestled her face more deeply into his side.

"I know," Derek said, his voice growing softer in the faintly eerie quiet of the night. "I feel the same way about my mates back home." Derek smiled slightly, staring off into nothing, and Karen made an unintelligible noise.

"Well," Karen shifted, and Derek moved to accommodate her. "You'll just have to take me to England now, to meet them."

"Oh," Derek smirked. "I'll have to?"

"Just _have_ to," Karen grinned sleepily. There was another short silence, and just as Derek was sure she had dozed off, Karen spoke again. "So, what are they like? You're friends?"

"Oh, you know," Derek smirked. "Just stupid blokes. One of them, Shawn, actually reminds me a lot of John."

"John?" Karen asked, sitting up a bit.

"You know, the one from today," Derek's forehead creased. "He's dating . . . uh . . . Sarah?"

"Josh," Karen laughed, and Derek looking only slightly embarrassed. "And he's not dating Sarah, he's married to Alison, and they have a son, Tommy."

"Yes . . ." Derek replied, coughing and rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. Karen shook her head, and beamed.

"Sarah, is dating Henry," Karen clarified, as though it were obvious. "And Henry's cousin Valerie is engaged to Dean, whose older brother is Matthew."

Derek made a faint sounds of agreement, face openly confused, and Karen laughed faintly. "What about Margret?"

"She's dating Steven," Karen said simply, then her face fell into a more contemplative stare. "I used to like Steven."

Derek raised both eyebrows, but Karen paid him no mind. "Well, I don't think he's progressed quite as far as you on that front." Karen shook her head faintly, and looked at him inquisitively.

"Hmm?" She asked laying back down and subconsciously dropping her hand to his chest. Gently, she sketched shapes over the fabric of his shirt with her fingertips.

"We can just say that there's no 'used to' in that sentence for him," Karen still looked puzzled, and Derek sighed. "Oh come on Love, you didn't see the way he kept looking at you? Madly in love, that poor sod."

"Oh, _that_ look," Karen said, taking Derek's face in her hands. "I've seen that look before."

"Really?" Derek hummed, and turned slightly to press his lips to hers. The kiss lasted for several moments, before Karen settled back into his side, and Derek dropped his arm to encircle her waist.

"Mmhmm, so Steven was my first crush," Karen said, and Derek nodded slightly.

"But not your first boyfriend?" He ran his fingers along her waist, and Karen shook her head.

"Nope," She popped the word faintly, and Derek chuckled. "That title is held by Cody Davis, sophomore year of high school.

"Cody Davis," Derek said thoughtfully, and Karen grinned. "Blonde?"

"Nope," Karen corrected. "Red-head. Well, red-brown." Her brow furrowed for a second, then she nodded.

"Quarterback?" Derek asked innocently, and Karen chuckled.

"Outside Receiver," Karen beamed, and simpered slightly. "And he played ice hockey in the winter."

"Did he now," Derek shifted slightly, and Karen laughed again. "And you were the shy, sweet cheerleader?"

"I was not," Karen said, almost triumphantly, and Derek chuckled. "However, after he ran in the winning touchdown for the division championship, he did run over to the sidelines and kiss me, in front of everyone," Karen smiled faintly at the memory, and Derek smiled as well. "And then we started dating. That was also my first kiss."

"That did not happen," Derek laughed, and Karen turned to him, indignant.

"I so did! Ask Alison, she was practically comatose afterward." Karen crossed her arms over her chest, but cracked a smile as Derek continued to laugh.

"Alright, alright," Derek breathed, and wiped the corner of his eye. "Bloody hell. Please, darling, continue."

Smiling a smug, satisfied smile, Karen uncrossed her arms and returned to his side, head now resting on his chest. "That's kinda it, really. We dated until the end of senior year, when I found out he'd hooked up with some junior at an end of the year party." Karen shrugged slightly, and Derek squeezed her side gently. Despite the fact that he could tell it no longer bothered her, an angry fire burned through him at the thought that someone could do something so ridiculously stupid. If someone had Karen, what else could they want?

"But then," Karen said, breaking the short silence and beginning to smile wickedly, "there was Chad, which was when my girlfriends and I spent the summer in California after graduation."

"Chad . . ." Derek began, the name almost a question.

"Chad," Karen said simply, now beaming as she gazed resolutely up at the ceiling. "He was a surfer. He had long blonde hair, and he wore one of those shell necklaces."

"No, oh no . . ." Derek said, putting a hand to his head, and Karen laughed.

"Yes!" She said, grinning from ear to ear. "Don't you dare say anything. We were madly in love."

"I'm sure," Derek groaned, and Karen was in hysterics. "Please, please, _please_ don't say he was your first-" Derek began, but Karen nodded furiously as she rolled onto her side to face him.

"He was," Derek groaned, and Karen punched his stomach softly. "On the beach, as the sun was setting." Derek mimed gagging, putting his hands to his throat, and Karen wrapped her fingers around his wrists. "Don't mock me! We were going to get married."

"Stop," Derek moaned, and Karen beamed.

"We were, but then I had to leave for New York, and he couldn't keep me from pursuing my acting dreams," Karen sighed, her voice excessively wistful. "And I couldn't keep him from his dreams of becoming a professional surfer-"

"Next!" He said, slightly too loudly, and Karen slapped her hand over his mouth. After a moment, he parted her fingers with his own, and whispered softly. "Please, move on."

"Alright," Karen sighed in defeat, still giddy as she fell back onto the mattress, and Derek tried to contain a smile. For a moment, Karen sat in silence, starring up at the ceiling in deep thought before continuing. "After that it was college, and freshman year was Eric Sisk, the junior."

"The junior," Derek repeated, drawing out the word, and Karen elbowed with side.

"Then there was no one, until half way through junior there was Trent . . ." She thought for a second, "Layne. Trent Layne. I dated him until graduation. Then there was Zach Wheeler, and then Dev," She turned to him, and smiled slightly. "And that's it. Well, you, but . . ." She trailed off, smirking faintly, and Derek grinned.

"What," Derek said, skeptically. "You've never hooked up with anyone? Never?" Karen tilted her head to the side and bit her lip.

"Maybe . . ." She said, drawing out the word, and her smile grew with it. Eyes wide and mischievous, Derek reached out to grab her but Karen rolled away, giggling loudly, and covered her mouth with her hand. "Alright!" she said brightly, after a moment. "Your turn!"

Derek looked slightly uncomfortable, and Karen rolled over next to him. "You're sure?" He asked, and Karen nodded. For a moment, Derek was silent, then sucked in a deep breath. "I guess the first would be Kathleen . . . Brusnell, in the seventh grade."

Karen laughed. "What were you, ten?" She asked, smirking, as Derek scrubbed his face with his hands.

"Twelve," Derek said indignantly, turning his head to face her. "And I'll have you know we held hands, and it was quite lovely."

"Oh, I'm sure," Karen forced out, containing a laugh, and Derek slipped a quick smile before turning to stare up at the ceiling.

"Relationships were always . . . weird, for me," Derek said after a moment, and Karen squeezed his fingers softly. "I mean, with my home life, what did I really expect? My father was never around, what with all his-" Derek gestured aimlessly at nothing, but Karen nodded, "-and my mother . . . Well, she wasn't around because she really didn't care, at least not all that much. She had us packed off to boarding school in the fourth grade, that was the youngest she could get rid of us." Derek took a slow, deep breath, but Karen remained silent. "And in the summer, we had Carla – the nanny – most of the time, but we still saw mother at supper, and once a week for tea on Sundays." Derek's mouth turned up in a faint grimace.

"And when they were together, my parents, it was a constant battle. Just hellish, the shouting and fighting," Derek furrowed his brow slightly. "I guess I should have been relieved, in a way, when they finally made the split. But it was all too . . ." He trailed off, and shook his head. "And I just hated the fact that he was seeing other people. I mean, my seventh grade self barely understood it, but it just felt like he'd never really loved her, right?" Karen wrapped her hands around his arm, and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Anyway, seventh year was when they split, and also when my brother left primary school for secondary," Derek smiled again, just a touch. "Harry really held me together, more so than Abigail, not because she didn't try but because she was just so much younger than the two of us. Without him-" Derek sighed. "Without him I just fell apart.

"Seventh grade wasn't that bad. There was Kathleen, and I was a trouble maker, but I had always been," Derek shifted on the bed, and Karen moved with him. "But by the end, something had sort of snapped, I guess. They kicked me out before the end of the semester," Karen blinked several times, but Derek paid no attention. "My dad pulled some strings though, he had connections like that, and got me settled down again for the fall. Gods," Derek chuckled bleakly, "he did that so many times, I couldn't even count. Don't know why he didn't give up sooner.

"Anyway, it was three different primaries before the end of eight grade, and I barely wormed my way out of the last one as well," Derek sighed. "But then, somehow, there was secondary school, and Scarlet Taylor." For a fleeting moment, a look of happy bliss spread over Derek's features, and Karen smiled in response. "Gods, she was pretty bloody terrific, at least fourteen year old my believed she was. She sort of took me in, whipped me into shape, and dated me, which was also a bonus." Karen chuckled quietly, and Derek finally snuck a quick glance at her. "And I really thought that she was going to be the change I needed. To put me on the right track." There was a short silence, and Derek huffed a deep breath.

"But there was something about it . . . I was gone half way through freshman year, then gone from the next school before the end of that year. At the next one, there was Cassidy Gaspar until half way into the year, then I was gone again. I managed to finish off sophmore year at the one, then over the summer there was Ettie . . ." Derek groaned slightly, and rubbed his forehead, "Parker, but junior year was another new school for second semester, and senior year was a new one every quarter." Derek bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut. "The last one – at the end of senior year – was dead set on not letting me graduate, but I'd passed all my tests – and some extra leverage from my father convinced them.

"After that, my dad told me he wasn't planning on helping me anymore," Derek said, his voice quieting minutely. "He told me he had stopped picking up my slack for good, that I would never be able to lean on him like that again, and walked out the door." Complete and utter silence in the room, and Derek grimaced. "That's the last time I've talked to him directly, though I've seen him around a lot." There was another short silence before Derek shifted suddenly, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes for a feverish moment.

"Anyway, somewhere in the mix of senior year there was a Jennifer," Derek's brow creased. "And then, at university, I'm fairly certain about an Emily . . . After that, it all goes south, well, more so than it already was," Derek smiled painfully. "And there hasn't been anyone else, really," Karen raised an eyebrow, and Derek grinned. "Well, until now, of course."

"Of course," Karen said, and snuggled into his side, pulling the covers up to their chins and gentle nudging one of his feet with hers. Derek hummed softly into her hair, and there was brief silence. "I'm sorry, Derek."

Derek furrowed his brow. "What for, Love?"

"I'm just- . . . I'm just sorry for everything that's happened to you," she sighed, "for everything you've had to go through-" Sitting up just a touch, she gently cupped his face with her hands, and brought his eyes around to meet hers. "Derek," She said firmly, "I never, _ever_ want you to feel alone again, not like you must have felt," she looked deeply into his eyes, and ran one thumb along the corner of his lips.

Derek was stunned. "I- . . . I don't deserve you," He whispered, voice cracking slightly. "I don't. Not even an ounce-"

"But you _do_, Derek," Karen interrupted. "I love you," She smiled slightly, "and I want you to be happy, at any cost. If you're happy, I know I'll be too."

"Thank you," was all Derek could manage after a long interval, and Karen nodded slightly, closing the minute gap between them for a short, gentle kiss. When they broke away, Derek face pulled into a trademark smirk, and Karen laughed faintly. "I love you too." He finally said, and he'd never meant it more than he did now.

"Good night sweetheart," Karen whispered, before dropping her hands in favor of his waist, and nestling her head into his chest. For a second, they lay together in the dark, and in that moment, Derek Wills realized two rather remarkable things:

Firstly, he had no recollection of a time in his life that he had ever been this happy.

And secondly, they were leaving Iowa tomorrow, and there was something he desperately needed to discuss with Roger Cartwright.

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**Oh boy . . . what do you think a discussion entails? *smiles evil-y***

**But anyway, thank you for reading! A little less action a little more talking and emotions, but please, please, please let me know if you did or did not enjoy this! It's sort of a different kind of writing then I'm used to . . . but whatever! Always at least try new things, right?**

**See you all ASAP!**


	5. A Conversation

**HI!**

**Alright, so I have a lot of apologies to make, namely that this chapter is really late, like really late. Like really, really late. Really.**

**But all I can really say that I'm super sorry! I've been really busy transitioning out of summer, and it's just been tough writing lately. I wish it wasn't so bad, and I'm trying the get back into a better schedule or something, but so far, not luck :(**

**So, thank you so, so, so, so, much to anyone reading this, as it means you've actually stuck with the not-really-yet-a-story for this unprecedented hiatus. So again, thanks so much, and hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Even after all this time, Smash is still not mine.**

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With a resounding and decisive _thump_, Derek closed and trunk of the car and dusted his hands across his pants. It had chilled even more overnight, causing a thin layer of frost to sparkle over the early morning grass and crunch under his feet as he jogged back to the house. Car fully loaded, room cleaned, and stomach full of hearty, home-cooked breakfast, Derek leaned against the paneling beside the old screen door and realized there were no more tasks he needed to complete.

Except for one.

The director swallowed thickly and crinkled his brow. His stomach churned, and his feet tapped nervously. Somewhere, in the very back of his mind, he knew that it would be incredibly easy to just walk away, to leave this stupid bloody notion behind and return to it later. And maybe that was the worst part, knowing he didn't have to. But something about last night had changed him, put the thought in his head and it had infected him, like a virus. He had already decided; he had made up his mind, lying wide awake in the early hours of the morning, that he wanted this more than he had ever wanted anything, and there was no backing down now.

It was time face it like a man.

To take it on the chin.

To walk through that door and just bloody tell Roger Cartwright what he wanted – what he _needed_ to do. Gods, if it was this hard now, how was he ever going to be able to actually pop the question.

Taking a final deep breath, Derek turned and pulled open the door, walking almost head on into the aforementioned man, his wife, and his daughter, exiting the house with bright smiles.

"Oh Derek," Karen's mother bubbled, grabbing the younger man's hand and beaming. "There you are sweetie, we were just coming to find you-"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Cartwright-" She made a soft clucking noise of disapproval, and Derek smiled slightly. "Martha, I just finished loading the luggage."

"Oh, wonderful dear," Mather smiled, then seemed to look around her in slight concern. "You don't need anything else? You're sure you haven't forgotten-"

"Mom," Karen said softly, taking her mother's hands away from Derek's, and wrapping the director's fingers in her own. "We're fine." Turning to Derek slightly, she took in his pale face and wide eyes, and her face dropped into a look of faint concern. "Are you alright?" She asked softly. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Are you sure honey?" Karen's mother was saying, already turning back into the house. "Why don't you come help me get some food from the kitchen, there's bound to be something you need to bring-"

Karen rolled her eyes discreetly, and Derek chuckled. "I'm fine, Love," He lied, raising her hands and grazing his lips across her knuckles. "I have a few more things to take care of, why don't you go help your mother?"

"You just want us to leave with as many cookies as possible," Karen stuck out her tongue, and Derek smirked before squeezing her hands softly. Placing a swift kiss on his cheek, Karen turned to walk back into the house, casting a quick, unreadable glance between her boyfriend and her father before disappearing through the doorway, and the two were left alone.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence, punctuated by Derek shuffling his feet through the slight frost, and the wind rustling the branches of a tree several yards off. Shoving his hands in his pockets, it was several minutes before Derek drew in a deep enough breath to formulate a true sentence, but as he opened his mouth and raised his head, he saw Mr. Cartwright doing the same.

"I was hoping we could talk, sir," The words came out in a slightly jumbled rush, tripping over each other before he could stop them from coming out at all. Mouth slightly open in preparation to speak, Mr. Cartwright closed it slowly, nodded his head, and met the director's eyes.

"I had hoped so too," After another short silence, the older man turned slightly and walked off towards the corner of the porch, and Derek followed a touch quicker than probably necessary. Settling again the old white railing that wound its way around the house's porch, Roger stared out at the waving fields for a moment before turning back to Derek, crossing his arms, and sighing.

"Derek," he began, almost painfully, and Derek blinked, eyes widening just a touch. "I wanted to . . . apologize for the way I've treated you," Derek shook his head almost instantly, opening his mouth to speak, but the older man raised his hands slowly. Derek stopped, mid-motion, and slowly settled his hands into his pockets. "Now, I know I've already done this apologizing thing through Karen, but I wanted to say it directly," He took a breath, and looked off over the scenery again. "I hope you know that you have far from a clean record in my book," He began again, and Derek felt his insides squirm. "But, you're good to Karen, and she loves you, and that is and should be enough for me," Licking his lips quickly, Roger unfolded and re-folded his arms briskly. Finally, he turned to Derek and nodded. "I'm sorry I judged you."

More than slightly stunned, it took Derek a moment to gather his thoughts into coherent sentences. "That's, actually part of what I wanted to talk to you about, Mr. Cartwright," Derek began, his palms beginning to perspire faintly. "I know I've done a lot of very . . . questionable things, and there are most definitely parts of my past I wish I could erase. There are a lot of things I've done and mistakes I've made that I knew were wrong, even at the time, but . . ." The younger man sighed faintly and shook his head, now twisting his fingers together at his midriff. "I was young, and stupid, and I didn't think I cared.

"And in regards to your daughter, sir," He looked up now, and met Roger Cartwright's eyes. "I've made mistakes too, more than she is deserving of by any account. She could have and she should have someone a thousand times the man I am," Derek blinked slowly, the words spilling forth now, but he let them go. "But I love her. I really, proper love her, more than I've ever loved anything or anyone else. And all I really want to do is make her happy sir, and I believe – at least for now – that I can do that.

"So," Derek shifted on his feet, lacing his fingers behind his back and standing up a touch straighter. "I know she and I have only had a proper relationship for a short while, and this wont come into play for a stretch, but – knowing that Broadway will keep Karen and I busy for a while to come – I felt I needed to ask you properly, face to face," Squaring his shoulders almost imperceptibly, Derek gazed into the older man's eyes, and took a slow deep breath.

"I would like to, some day soon, ask for your daughter's hand in marriage," Derek spoke slowly, focusing on each individual word as he had played it out in his mind, and adding, as an afterthought: "Sir."

Silence.

The wind whipped through the fields, whistling around the house.

Somewhere in the distance, a bird chirped.

Roger Cartwright did not move a muscle. Arms still crossed over his chest, he starred out across the dying landscape, browning plants powdered with bitter, white snow. Derek watched his chest rise and fall, his brow furrow minutely, and his eyes take on a dull, almost resigned stare. But, there was something in that gaze that almost seemed like happiness, and Derek allowed himself to feel a twinge of hope.

Very abruptly, the older man uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, placing both hands along the white railing and leaning his weight against it, his gaze now lowered to the ground. When he spoke, his voice was neither angry nor upset, and Derek felt the spark of excitement begin to glow.

"I want you to try to understand something, Derek," The man turned his head, but still gazed downward, eyes still distant and removed. "Something you can't understand, and won't be able to understand until you're holding your own child in your arms."

Now he turned to Derek, face serious, hands still gripping the rail. "Karen is my baby girl," he said simply, almost sadly, and a small, fond smile pulled at the corner of his lips. "And I will go to the ends of the earth, I would gladly spend every day of the rest of my life, by her side, keeping her safe and happy. And that's what I intend to do."

Derek felt his heart plummet into his stomach, as though someone had opened the trapdoor and all of a sudden he was falling. This couldn't be, it just couldn't. He wasn't prepared for this, he hadn't expected-

"But," The older man suddenly continued, and Derek looked up at him, his gaze having wondered in his moment of panic. "I knew quite a long time ago that I couldn't do that forever," Roger continued. "And I think, if I'm looking for someone to fill that roll," and finally, the older man smiled, beamed even, "I think you're a pretty good fit, boy."

Derek let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and sighed. All of a sudden, a great weight had been lifted of his shoulders, the clouds had parted, and he grinned back at the older man, a silly, stupid grin, and he fought to keep himself from bursting into peels of laughter.

"Thank you, sir, Mr. Cartwright," He babbled, taking the man's hand and shaking it firmly with both of his. "Thank you so much, sir. I won't let you down sir, I promise. As long as she'll have me, I'll be hers."

"I know you will," Roger Cartwright smiled even wider, and thumped Derek firmly on the back. "You're a good man, don't think you don't deserve some credit."

"Thank you, thank you again, Mr. Cartwright, sir," Derek couldn't stop the words as they tumbled out of him among breathless laughs. "I really appreciate it-"

"You're welcome, boy," He said with a sense of finality, and as he did, Karen and her mother pushed open the screen door, chatting away happily. Disengaging his hands, Derek sent the older man one last grateful, disbelieving smile before turning to stroll across the porch. Hands pressed into his pockets, he felt lighter than air, feet almost dancing across the ground, and happiness bubbling in his chest. He thought he might start whistling, before a sounds from behind him made him turn.

"Oh, and son," Roger Cartwright said, arms now crossed over his chest again, and grinning a small, satisfied grin. "You can call me Roger."

For a moment, Derek was silent, before a small, faint smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. He nodded once, jerkily, tipping his head in the older man's direction, and Roger responded in kind. Turning, Derek crossed the rest of the deck, smiling broadly and wrapped an arm around Karen's waist. Pressing his lips briefly to her temple, he chuckled faintly as Karen sent him an amused, slightly confused glance.

And then, after a final round of hand shakes and cheek kisses, they were gone, speeding down the dirt road in the bright light of early morning. Sitting comfortably behind the wheel, Derek couldn't help but smile as he starred out at the vast fields ahead of him, sneaking occasional glances at the woman beside him. After catching his gaze for the third or fourth time, Karen let out a little chuckle, shaking her head, and turned to look at the road.

"What?" Derek asked, chuckling, and Karen rolled her eyes.

"Someone's awfully happy to get out of there," Karen smirked, and Derek's eyes widened.

"No," his face fell slightly. "No, no it's not-"

"Derek," Karen said, holding back a laugh and meeting his gaze. "Honey, I'm joking."

"Right," Derek said, letting out a long breath, and cracked a smile when Karen giggled from beside him. "I suppose I'm just . . ." he thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Content. It really is lovely out here, darling." He shot her a smile, and Karen reached over and took his hand.

"I'm happy too," she said softly, threading her fingers through his, and rubbing circles along his palm with her thumb. "We should come back, as soon as we can."

"I agree," Derek said gently, almost escaping as a kind of humming, and placed his lips briefly on their intertwined hands, and sending her a winning smile. For several moments, they drove in comfortable silence, and Karen pressed her shoulder against his, nestling into his side as best she could.

"And I saw you figured things of with my dad?" She asked, almost a statement rather than a question. Derek glanced over at her quickly, but she wasn't paying attention, head turned toward the window as she waited for his reply. For a moment he was silent, thoughtful, then gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Yeah," Derek said, drawing the word out slightly, and Karen tipped her head upward to look at him. "He's a good man, your father. He really cares for you."

Karen pulled away slightly and looked at him, smirking faintly. "A good man?" Derek shrugged, eyebrows raised indignantly, and Karen let out a breathy laugh. "Where's this sudden affection coming from?"

"I never said he wasn't a good man!" Derek stated, slightly affronted, and Karen beamed. "Just that I was afraid of him-" Karen cut him off, pressing her lips to his quickly before turning his attention back to the road.

"I know," she said, smiling. "And I love you. Even if you are ridiculous."

"Ridiculous!" Derek repeated, openmouthed. "Bloody hell, how am I ridiculous?"

Karen giggled slightly. "You aren't, don't worry."

"But you said I was!" Derek responded resentfully. "You have to tell me now, you said it. That's the rule."

And Karen laughed loudly, and Derek smirked as they continued toward Chicago.

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**Thanks for reading, possibly tell me what you think?! Too OOC, on Derek's part? Again, if you have any suggestions for one-shots you'd like to read, pretty, pretty, PRETTY please send them! I would love some inspiration! Have a fantastic day! **


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